Method of obtaining synchronism between a kinematographic performance and an acoustic accompaniment thereof.



J. BECK.

METHOD OF OBTAINING SYNCHRONISM BETWEEN A KINEMATOGRAPHIC PERFORMANCE AND AN ACOUSTIC ACCOMPANIMENT THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1912.

1,069,221, Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

UNITED; satires PATENT oases.

JAKOB BECK. OF MUNICH, GERMANY.

unrnon or oara nms s ncnnomsm BETWEEN a xmnmaroeaarmc r'naroamancn AND AN acousrrc aoco yrrammnnr 'rnnanor.

Specifications)! Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1912. Serial No. 680,071.

To all'wiwgnit may concern Be it known that I, J AKOB BECK, a subject of the. German Emperor, and a resident of .;l-l-un ch, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, i have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of, Obtaining Synchronism between *5 Kinematogr'aphic Performance and an Acoustic Accompaniment Thereof, of

which the following a specification.

When kin'em atograph-ic performances are to be accompanied by acoustic performances which are not mechanically produced, it causes 'much difficulty to obtain a perfect synchronism between the play and the accompaniment. The accompaniment mostly starts either too earl or'too late. The cause residesin the fact, t at the speed of the film frequently varies, during the display and there is no positive relation between the speed of the filmand the time of the accompaniment.

It has been tried to employ the kinematograph together with a phonograph by coir ling the two by means of a device producmg the requiredsynchronism. But m suchcases the accom animent is mechanicall produced; Besies it .has been observe thatthe synchronizing coupling device, par

- ticularly after long use, will not operate so preciselv that actually a synchronism is obtained. To obviate all these difiiculties the present invention provides, that when the kinematoaphic p ay is bein photographed, the and master. of the orc estra accompanying the play issimultaneously photographed toge heiyL-with the play at some suitable part, preferably at the side or the lower edge of the film: this photograph of the band master may be either a whole or partial photograph; inthe latter instance only. the movements of his arms and the upper part of his body would-be photographe inrsuch position on the film. The persons,

itipned behind the screen during the per- ?dfximnce and accompanying the same will 'then, however, not be able to see a part of As the band master turns his face towardvthe stage'dur- -ing the original recording play, he will be the movements of the band master, namely those which are covered by his back and this may again cause irregularities in the. commencement of the accompanying music. For avoiding this difficulty the band master is not photographed directly, but only his reflected image.

The accompanying drawing exemplifies in a diagrammatic manner the method of recording the kinematographic performance.

In this drawing a is the stage, on which the actors perform; 6 is the orchestra. it; d is the band master and f is the recor ing camera, which is placed in the auditorium. For obtaining a front view of the band master looking toward the stage, a mirrorg is mounted at a suitable point of the stage, in which the image of the band master will be reflected. When therefore the view on the stage is photographed by the camera f the band master will appear on the finished pic ture as if seen from in front. His image may then be projected against the lower part of the screen h, which is then, if the projection is made from behind the screen, covered by a suitable partition 2'; the photograph may, however, also be made in such a man ner, that the band master is shown onthe side of the film and is accordingly projected.

By such means the persons producing the acoustic accompaniment of the kinematographic display, (actors, singers, musicians and the like) who are placed during theme];-w

formance behind'the screen it are in a posi-- tion, to exactly follow the directing movements of the band master and to beginilii-he proper moments and accompany .the play'in the proper time, as the speed of the movements of the directing person will now varywith the varying speed of the film. The

whole performance will thereby receive auniform characteig both in the play and the accompaniment, and the artistic require-.

ments can be met in a better manner than was hitherto possible.

" The movements of the band master may Patented Aug. 5,1913.

be screened from the audience by means of walls, curtains, wings or the like, while the actors, singers,=musicians and the likebe hind the screen cansee them.

paniment of the-performance, substantially as described. i 10 In testimomiwhereof I nflix my signature in prescnce 0 two witnesses.

' JAKOB BECK.

. I claim:

A method oijsynchronizing a visual performance and an acoustic accompaniment therefor, which consists. in photographing 5 on a film the performance of the actors, and

in simultaneously photographing on said 1 H Witnesses: film a reflected front view of a person facingv A, V. W-. Co'rrrn, the actors 'anddirecting the acoustic accom- 5 RICHARD LEMP. 

